Dear Mike,

would you consider introducing an option allowing us to disable messages in our gardens?

I love the idea of that feature - people saying hi when they stop by - but I feel like the reality is very different:

too often people use it to mark territory by covering the entire page, or announcing that they "need" a certain animal, that they will stay, that they are questing or they wish luck to one particular visitor from among several waterers...

I know it sounds harmless but it's obvious some players use it as a mind game. And I've seen that it works: if two people are watering in my garden, one posts with every sprinkle saying that they are questing, the other doesn't, and a third visitor comes along and wishes luck to the poster, the silent waterer all too often just leaves because they feel unwelcome or don't want to risk a conflict.

Yesterday I tested out the no-messages idea by leaving a request for visitors on my wall not to post, and I've never had such a variety of visitors and the atmosphere was much calmer. Then, of course, during the night the wall got covered with posts again :) That's why I would love to have an option to turn them off.

Thank you for considering :)

I like that idea, Amparo !!
Not sure if I would want to use it all the time, but I definetely would use it sometimes .... :)

I can´t see any harm in this, so why not?

I like this idea too.

I like the idea as well. I am not sure I would utilize it much as I enjoy returning sprinkles and I do that from my wall but I think that the OP is correct, its often used to intimidate.

I love this idea. I have always wished we could disable back wall posts because that is where people leave their nasty messages saying you stole their wildlife or you watered too much, etc. It gives me anxiety to go back there. I almost never write on anyone's back wall for that reason. I don't want to have to check mine. I never understood why we have two walls. Anyway I love this. When I'm online I delete any messages in my garden where people post more than once in a row or say they need something but I can't do that when I'm not around. This would be great.

Lovely idea, however, it will prevent everyone from seeing what alert is active (if any) if no one can post on the garden wall. Everyone would have to water and this chameleon challenge is all about choosing the right color. I'm grateful for the alerts posted by others and have completely skipped gardens because I didn't want to spot that color.

And would the option also disable the garden owner from posting as well? Because there will be numerous people who will use it to reserve wildlife for someone particular.

Shannon,

it could be up to the garden owner to decide when they want to have messages and when not. With challenges when the advance alert is important, like the chameleons, they could choose to have the messages active.

As for your other question about the ability of the owner to post, personally, I would be ok with both alternatives:

as a garden owner, if I'm also unable to post comments on my wall when I disable the messages, I could leave them elsewhere, eg. the garden description or the status.

Also, I think it has been established that reserving animals for friends (or preventing someone from watering in a public garden) is against the rules - so in that case the owner's message can be reported.

Thank you all for your feedback so far.

Its interesting! I have my opinion on the silent waterer and the many post leaver, but as far as people being scared away, I haven't seen much of that- some people just choose not to have a water fight because of the cost of gold. It is an option to remove all garden posts with a one second click in our own garden now. I know thats not what your asking though.

Right now I am rather dependent on those messages left on my wall as they help me spot some of the quieter gardens. My only objection to folks being able to disable messages would be in knowing details about an alert that are given by other waterers. At any other time, I think garden owner preference is fine. I've had some wonderful visitors of late, communicating with each other so folks can spot what they need and don't need.

You can also turn off alerts in your garden!